Bioengineering/ Biomedical Engineering

Shruti is making it possible for people with diabetes to live more active and longer lives. Her work contributes to understanding how and why diabetes leads to serious and debilitating foot injuries.

Where she works

Shrutiworks in a prosthetics lab at the Center of Excellence for Limb Loss Prevention and Prosthetic Engineering in Seattle, Washington.

What she does

People with diabetes have high blood sugar, and this can cause foot and skin problems, including nerve damage and poor blood flow. Shruti researches and analyzes foot tissue differences between people with and without diabetes. Her ultimate goal is to develop specialized shoes for diabetics that will help prevent injuries—sometimes these injuries can be so severe that amputation is necessary.

Why she loves it

“It’s wonderful having work that really helps people and makes a difference in their lives.”

Best part of engineering

“I love brainstorming. I also love that everyone at my job is passionate about reaching their end goal—creating cool stuff like prosthetics and specialized shoes to help diabetics keep active and live fuller lives.”

What got her interested

“I always loved biology, physics, and art. An aptitude test pointed me toward biomedical engineering. One of my high school teachers helped me search for colleges that had great programs in this field.”

Her background

Shruti’s parents are from India. She grew up in Zambia, and she went to boarding school in South Africa. When applying to college, Shruti chose to come to the United States. “I’m kind of from all over the place,” she says.

Major funding for Engineer Your Life provided by The National Science Foundation and Northrop Grumman Foundation. Additional funding provided by Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr and the United Engineering Foundation (ASCE, ASME, AIChE, IEEE, AIME).